Loved that Spider-Man 2, again

S. T. Karnick at TCS expands on the subject of Spider-Man2 and the war,

“As in the first film, the powerful newspaper editor J. Jonah Jameson makes Spider-Man into a villain even though he knows perfectly well that the costumed crimefighter is indeed a hero. Jameson ignores the truth in a bid to sell more newspapers, on the probably accurate assumption that bad news sells better. The comparison to the American media, whose ardor for the U.S. role in the War on Terror has cooled steadily from the beginning and finally transformed into fairly open hostility, ought to be quite evident.

In addition to all of this, the characters explicitly discuss themes such as honor, duty, loyalty, and self-sacrifice. Whatever the filmmakers may think of the War on Terror and America’s role in the world, it is quite evident that these issues must have been weighing on their minds as they developed this film. Indeed, how could they not, given the importance of these matters to us as a nation? These issues are the true heart of the film and the important thing that must be said about it.

“With great power comes great responsibility.” It is a lonely position, of course, and one that we Americans did not explicitly choose, but this film suggests that we are much like Peter Parker in the greatness of the gifts we have been given. The conclusion, then, is inescapable: If we deny what is best in us, tragedy will surely ensue.”

Serious issues, driven home in an accessible way — through a good film.